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GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #381161] Tue, 31 July 2007 13:46 Go to next message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: matt.querix.com

Hi all,

I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database language
(a visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a 'form' is
XML, and we have a schema for this.

I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in terms of
providing the binding between the XML and the object model of the form.
The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be hardwired for
node/connection type models.

Thanks in advance,

Matt D.
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #381164 is a reply to message #381161] Tue, 31 July 2007 13:52 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ed Merks is currently offline Ed MerksFriend
Messages: 33113
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Matt,

I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating
those two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of the
reply, since that's really the best place to ask this question.


Matt Dickie wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database language
> (a visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a 'form' is
> XML, and we have a schema for this.
>
> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in terms
> of providing the binding between the XML and the object model of the
> form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be hardwired for
> node/connection type models.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Matt D.


Ed Merks
Professional Support: https://www.macromodeling.com/
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #381185 is a reply to message #381164] Tue, 31 July 2007 14:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: matt.querix.com

Hi Ed,

Thanks for replying so quickly. By a 'form', I mean a GUI with
textfields, buttons, lists, etc. So basically I'm writing something a
bit like the VE, except the form is serialized to XML rather than Java.
All the papers and examples I've seen for EMF and GMF talk about
something that can be displayed as a graph with nodes and edges, and
obviously a graphical form (a window with widgets) isn't like that.

Matt

Ed Merks wrote:
> Matt,
>
> I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
> EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating
> those two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of the
> reply, since that's really the best place to ask this question.
>
>
> Matt Dickie wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database language
>> (a visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a 'form' is
>> XML, and we have a schema for this.
>>
>> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in terms
>> of providing the binding between the XML and the object model of the
>> form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be hardwired for
>> node/connection type models.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>>
>> Matt D.
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #381186 is a reply to message #381185] Tue, 31 July 2007 14:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ed Merks is currently offline Ed MerksFriend
Messages: 33113
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Matt,

Well, if you need GEF, I assume you are doing something more than just a
form with widgets, in which case GMF will help. If you aren't needing
GEF, then probably EMF is sufficient. We plan to work on support for
forms for our coming release. In
https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=108470 there is an
attachment for supporting a master details view using EMF.


Matt Dickie wrote:
> Hi Ed,
>
> Thanks for replying so quickly. By a 'form', I mean a GUI with
> textfields, buttons, lists, etc. So basically I'm writing something a
> bit like the VE, except the form is serialized to XML rather than
> Java. All the papers and examples I've seen for EMF and GMF talk about
> something that can be displayed as a graph with nodes and edges, and
> obviously a graphical form (a window with widgets) isn't like that.
>
> Matt
>
> Ed Merks wrote:
>> Matt,
>>
>> I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
>> EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating
>> those two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of
>> the reply, since that's really the best place to ask this question.
>>
>>
>> Matt Dickie wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database
>>> language (a visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a
>>> 'form' is XML, and we have a schema for this.
>>>
>>> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in
>>> terms of providing the binding between the XML and the object model
>>> of the form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be
>>> hardwired for node/connection type models.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>
>>> Matt D.


Ed Merks
Professional Support: https://www.macromodeling.com/
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #381190 is a reply to message #381185] Fri, 10 August 2007 13:01 Go to previous message
Volker Wegert is currently offline Volker WegertFriend
Messages: 182
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Hi Matt,

I've done something simlilar using GMF, and it saved me a lot of manual
coding. Be prepared to put some additional effort into the part of the editor
that handles the layout - this most certainly won't work out of the
box. Depending on whether you're using an automated layout manager like most
java frameworks or some coordinate-based system, you may have to teach the
editor how to layout your components or you may have to extend the editor to
transfer the coordinates between your 'form' model and the GMF components.

Note that the way GMF works puts a fixed limit on the depth that nested
components can assume. For example, in SWT, you can place a Compartment in a
Compartment in a Compartment .. ad infinitum - that's not possible with the
GMF generated editor, because you have to set the rules on "what object can be
placed in which compartment" in the graphical definition, and this model
allows no recursion.

HTH
Volker

Matt Dickie <matt@querix.com> writes:
> Thanks for replying so quickly. By a 'form', I mean a GUI with textfields,
> buttons, lists, etc. So basically I'm writing something a bit like the VE,
> except the form is serialized to XML rather than Java. All the papers and
> examples I've seen for EMF and GMF talk about something that can be
> displayed as a graph with nodes and edges, and obviously a graphical form (a
> window with widgets) isn't like that.

> Ed Merks wrote:
>> I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
>> EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating those
>> two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of the reply,
>> since that's really the best place to ask this question.

>> Matt Dickie wrote:
>>> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database language (a
>>> visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a 'form' is XML, and
>>> we have a schema for this.
>>>
>>> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in terms of
>>> providing the binding between the XML and the object model of the
>>> form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be hardwired for
>>> node/connection type models.

--
* Volker Wegert * http://www.volker-wegert.de/contact *
* "You need the computing power of a Pentium, 16 MB RAM and 1 GB Harddisk
* to run Win95. It took the computing power of 3 Commodore 64 to fly to
* the Moon. Something is wrong here, and it wasn't the Apollo."
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #597047 is a reply to message #381161] Tue, 31 July 2007 13:52 Go to previous message
Ed Merks is currently offline Ed MerksFriend
Messages: 33113
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Matt,

I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating
those two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of the
reply, since that's really the best place to ask this question.


Matt Dickie wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database language
> (a visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a 'form' is
> XML, and we have a schema for this.
>
> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in terms
> of providing the binding between the XML and the object model of the
> form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be hardwired for
> node/connection type models.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Matt D.


Ed Merks
Professional Support: https://www.macromodeling.com/
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #599214 is a reply to message #381164] Tue, 31 July 2007 14:03 Go to previous message
Eclipse UserFriend
Originally posted by: matt.querix.com

Hi Ed,

Thanks for replying so quickly. By a 'form', I mean a GUI with
textfields, buttons, lists, etc. So basically I'm writing something a
bit like the VE, except the form is serialized to XML rather than Java.
All the papers and examples I've seen for EMF and GMF talk about
something that can be displayed as a graph with nodes and edges, and
obviously a graphical form (a window with widgets) isn't like that.

Matt

Ed Merks wrote:
> Matt,
>
> I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
> EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating
> those two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of the
> reply, since that's really the best place to ask this question.
>
>
> Matt Dickie wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database language
>> (a visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a 'form' is
>> XML, and we have a schema for this.
>>
>> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in terms
>> of providing the binding between the XML and the object model of the
>> form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be hardwired for
>> node/connection type models.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>>
>> Matt D.
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #599221 is a reply to message #381185] Tue, 31 July 2007 14:17 Go to previous message
Ed Merks is currently offline Ed MerksFriend
Messages: 33113
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Matt,

Well, if you need GEF, I assume you are doing something more than just a
form with widgets, in which case GMF will help. If you aren't needing
GEF, then probably EMF is sufficient. We plan to work on support for
forms for our coming release. In
https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=108470 there is an
attachment for supporting a master details view using EMF.


Matt Dickie wrote:
> Hi Ed,
>
> Thanks for replying so quickly. By a 'form', I mean a GUI with
> textfields, buttons, lists, etc. So basically I'm writing something a
> bit like the VE, except the form is serialized to XML rather than
> Java. All the papers and examples I've seen for EMF and GMF talk about
> something that can be displayed as a graph with nodes and edges, and
> obviously a graphical form (a window with widgets) isn't like that.
>
> Matt
>
> Ed Merks wrote:
>> Matt,
>>
>> I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
>> EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating
>> those two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of
>> the reply, since that's really the best place to ask this question.
>>
>>
>> Matt Dickie wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database
>>> language (a visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a
>>> 'form' is XML, and we have a schema for this.
>>>
>>> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in
>>> terms of providing the binding between the XML and the object model
>>> of the form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be
>>> hardwired for node/connection type models.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>>
>>> Matt D.


Ed Merks
Professional Support: https://www.macromodeling.com/
Re: GMF or just GEF for our form editor [message #599267 is a reply to message #381185] Fri, 10 August 2007 13:01 Go to previous message
Volker Wegert is currently offline Volker WegertFriend
Messages: 182
Registered: July 2009
Senior Member
Hi Matt,

I've done something simlilar using GMF, and it saved me a lot of manual
coding. Be prepared to put some additional effort into the part of the editor
that handles the layout - this most certainly won't work out of the
box. Depending on whether you're using an automated layout manager like most
java frameworks or some coordinate-based system, you may have to teach the
editor how to layout your components or you may have to extend the editor to
transfer the coordinates between your 'form' model and the GMF components.

Note that the way GMF works puts a fixed limit on the depth that nested
components can assume. For example, in SWT, you can place a Compartment in a
Compartment in a Compartment .. ad infinitum - that's not possible with the
GMF generated editor, because you have to set the rules on "what object can be
placed in which compartment" in the graphical definition, and this model
allows no recursion.

HTH
Volker

Matt Dickie <matt@querix.com> writes:
> Thanks for replying so quickly. By a 'form', I mean a GUI with textfields,
> buttons, lists, etc. So basically I'm writing something a bit like the VE,
> except the form is serialized to XML rather than Java. All the papers and
> examples I've seen for EMF and GMF talk about something that can be
> displayed as a graph with nodes and edges, and obviously a graphical form (a
> window with widgets) isn't like that.

> Ed Merks wrote:
>> I'm not sure what graphical forms editing means, but if you are using
>> EMF and GEF, I'm quite sure that GMF will help a lot with integrating those
>> two things. I've added the GMF newsgroup to the "to" list of the reply,
>> since that's really the best place to ask this question.

>> Matt Dickie wrote:
>>> I am wanting to write a graphical forms editor for a database language (a
>>> visual editor in other words). The serialized form of a 'form' is XML, and
>>> we have a schema for this.
>>>
>>> I certainly need to use GEF, and EMF would seem to be useful in terms of
>>> providing the binding between the XML and the object model of the
>>> form. The question is, is GMF any use? It seems to be hardwired for
>>> node/connection type models.

--
* Volker Wegert * http://www.volker-wegert.de/contact *
* "You need the computing power of a Pentium, 16 MB RAM and 1 GB Harddisk
* to run Win95. It took the computing power of 3 Commodore 64 to fly to
* the Moon. Something is wrong here, and it wasn't the Apollo."
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